The Delicate Affair of Colonel Baquiste by Luki Belle

 Please welcome Luki Belle author of  The Delicate Affair of Colonel Baquiste

Luki Belle will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

The Delicate Affair of Colonel Baquiste

by Luki Belle

 

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GENRE:   Adult Fiction, Gothic Fiction, Paranormal Suspense, Military Thriller

 

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INTERVIEW:

Question 1: What or who inspired you to start writing?

Answer 1: A former colleague of mine - he commented on my paintings and said that I needed to “take the lid off myself” meaning to be more expressive and not to be shy. You see I am a self-taught artist and use to paint women as a hobby. I realized that what my colleague was saying, was for me to be more dramatic in my artistic expression because he intuitively pointed out that I had the desire to express more. However, I knew that I did not have the skills to illustrate my inner thought process, in art, because I was teaching myself and lacked the knowledge to make my paintings appear more dynamic. 

Shortly after that conversation with my colleague, I had a terrible nightmare which produced a recurring vision of a haunting scene. I wanted to materialize that vision into art, as a way of self-healing from that terrible experience. While doing so, I quickly concluded that my humble painting skills were limited, and I needed to express this haunting vision into words to get the therapy I was seeking. That got me started on writing out that recurring scene which I kept seeing in my mind after my nightmare. Those initial words, to find self-healing, led to a ten-year writing project and produced my first novel (the one that I will publish after my second book goes out).

Question 2: What elements are necessary components for this genre?

Answer 2: My genre is Adult Fiction, Gothic Fiction, Paranormal Suspense, Military Thriller. I will take each one and share my thoughts.

Starting with Paranormal, it is very important to set the rules with which paranormal beings interact with humans and how humans respond to that effect. This rule must be followed throughout the book.

Next Gothic, I feel that the essence needs to be expressed heavily through adjectives and the way characters feel, sense, smell, see and perceive being in isolation or being in remoteness. By saying it is a remote castle does not really help the reader feel what it is like to be in that environment unless the writer describes it through the characters in that situation. Similarly, to create that dark, haunting, and fearful ambiance, the usage of adjectives and response of characters to a situation is important, I think. And response can be done using all the five senses of a being.

When it comes to suspense and thriller, I strongly believe that if you are taking your reader to a heightened peek of anticipation, you must meet that same intensity when you create the climax and then resolve the mystery. If you build a steep “gradient” then you must let the reader enjoy the “dive down”, kind of like going up a snowy mountain trail when skiing or snowboarding. Also, the more characters, plots, issues, open ended events you add, those all must be resolved, unless you intentionally want to end with unresolved things. I think of it is as expanding my radius of scope, and I am consciously aware of how big I am making that circle to ensure that I go back and connect the dots and tie the knots that will nicely lead the reader to the ultimate message or messages of the book.

 

(Answer 2 continued) Finally Military genre, I think it is important to establish the ranks, their rules and protocol, how they govern, their mission, ways of operating, tactics, their past, how they fight, kinds of weapons used. Intertwined with these decisions is the vision of the nation under which the military is operating and how that nation functions, its economy, people, culture, tradition, challenges, threats, advantages. These technicalities must be defined and followed consistently throughout the novel unless there is a plot to change the realm of either the nation and or the military.

Question 3: How did you come up with your idea for your novel?

Answer 3: Having been born and grown up in post-colonial countries, having been on the receiving end of hate, racism, and prejudice I wanted to explore a male character who was on the colonizing side who will be a military man, ruthless, arrogant, and prejudiced, to see what could compel such a man to have a change of heart. That was the initial inspiration which morphed into a very, very complex novel once I started thinking more about it. It was a meditational journey for me because it showed me that individuals, situations and events are never absolutes. There is always the positive side which tends to be quieter, subtler and more like a gentle nudge while the negative is the exact opposite. 

I therefore ended up exploring several themes in my book through my characters, such as the impact of psychological masks, impact of uniforms, social and gender roles in the midst of culture and tradition, the test of civility during times of change, the empowerment of individual choice, how imperfections in us are vital for change – hopefully positive ones, bonding over grief, the power of observation when one is given the permission to be someone else. I have also explored the benefits of discipline and duty that comes through wearing a uniform and at the same time contrasted the impact of misusing the uniform. A fine thread that knits the themes together is the question of assimilation in the face of change and how to find the opportunity for progress without destruction. I explored all these themes through the lens of colonization because of my personal life’s experience, to aspire that positive change is possible if we can give ourselves the permission to explore a situation and a person through a different lens while being civil, patient and staying curious to learn.

Question 4: What expertise did you bring to your writing?

Answer 4: I am a trained project manager and so I heavily used the many skills under this hat to take my novel from inception to publication. I also meditate 5-6 hours per week which allowed me to manage my emotional states and kept me connected to a divine source to pursue my passion compassionately without fear, pride, anxiety, and ego. Lastly, I workout 7 days a week which helped maintain my physical energy levels to dedicate to my passion while simultaneously working long hours on my day job.

Question 5: What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?

Answer 5: The day I submitted the manuscript for The Delicate Affair of Colonel Baquiste for publishing, is the day my late father’s health took a turn for the worse and he passed away ten days later. I did not get to share my first published novel with my father.

 

Question 6: As far as writing goes, what are your future plans?

Answer 6: I have a short stories book coming out next and after that, my third novel (the first one I wrote, which took me ten years to write), will be published.

Question 7: If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?

Answer 7: I would love to be Chamcham, the Hastana boy. He is a very sweet character and a very smart child. I would want to know what he has seen and experienced in the Yervaan palace and why he made a couple of brave decisions. The mind of Chamcham is intriguing to me while the innocent and quietly perceptive character of this boy is very enticing to me. He must follow orders while he chooses to make two bold decisions, only a clever boy will do that. I would also want to be Chamcham because of the path his life takes near the end of the book. The boy does not express his inner world to anyone, and I wonder about the life he led at the Yervaan palace and what made him decide his fate near the end.

Question 8: When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step.

Answer 8: When I saw that my first book was more than just pages of scribbles and that it was growing into a full novel (the one that took me ten years), I decided that I wanted it published after it was done. However, I was not comfortable with putting that out into the world first, call it lack of serious self-confidence. I decided to keep writing and instead of one large novel I started thinking of short stories, one story led to another, and another ultimately created The Delicate Affair of Colonel Baquiste which became much more than a short story hence I say it was a meditational journey for me. Call it divine intervention, I decided to get this story published first.

Question 9: Do you outline your books or just start writing?

Answer 9: Can I say both. I usually see a scene, something random or I will see something that will inspire a random scene in my mind. I ignore it until it keeps nagging me. Then I start scribbling to dabble and play with the scene to see what comes of it. Often it fizzles out and I abandon that inspiration. Other times I get very excited, and ideas start coming. I will continue writing until I realize that I must develop this. Then I go into the painful reflection period, where I have isolated characters, scenes, plots or one of those things or a few of those things and I am trying to build something out of it. I call it painful reflection because I basically need to wait for days, weeks, months for me to find enough material to come up with the outline. With The Delicate Affair of Colonel Baquiste the reflection period was over two months. During this time, I just have to write down whatever comes into my mind in terms of characters, roles, events, actions but none of it is nicely connected. There is really no aha-moment though because even when I create the outline and start filling in the content, I invariably arrive at a juncture where things either crisscross (don’t merge nicely) or are going in parallel and I cannot connect things. So, it is more like taking 10 steps forward and 6 steps back even when I start filling in the outline.

 

Question 10: Who is your favorite character in the book? Can you tell us why?

Answer 10: I know this answer might sound a bit confusing and perhaps unexpected, my favorite character is the persona of the Colonel (not Valstohl, not Gulaan). I say this because it is through the nature of the Colonel that Valstohl and Gulaan can coexist and perform their duties. The Colonel is the objective observer and disciplined performer while bearing the burden of both Valstohl and Gulaan’s characteristics and tendencies, including Valstohl’s tragic and dark past. The Colonel’s training of body and mind, his desire for knowledge, his civility and grit are remarkable to me. The Colonel is ultimately the bridge and means of reconciliation between Valstohl and Gulaan. The stoic attitude that the Colonel embodies when he is given the Delicate Affair, is key to success for both Valstohl and Gulaan’s mission.

BLURB:

 

The setting: two fictitious nations, Hastan and Llehstanz, in a past imaginary era of colonization.

The Llehstanz Monarchy won its final battle over Hastan to colonize the nation after years of war. The battlefield charge was led by a reputable, young, ruthless, and handsome Colonel Valstohl Baquiste. Highly skilled but equally arrogant, he holds a prejudice against the people of Hastan. Tragically, Colonel Baquiste was unexpectedly attacked during the last battle leaving him physically disabled. Realizing his military life is over, the embittered Colonel Baquiste awaits his dismissal to return to Llehstanz. However, he is offered a second chance for victory.

Colonel Baquiste is called back to military duty on a secret mission. He must go alone in disguise to capture elusive thugs terrorizing the Llehstanzite regiment. In accepting the mission, Baquiste realizes he is no longer fighting an enemy on a battleground when he travels to stay at the palace of renowned Southern Hastana landowner, Sir Bojeshnomaan Yervaan. Yervaans’ sinister nature ensnares Baquiste while the delicate assignment compels him to confront his tragic past and his prejudice against Hastanas. If the ambitious Colonel wants victory, it will require him to use not just his grit but also his heart.

 

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EXCERPT:

 

I would take your place if you ordered me Valstohl. You still have five hours to get on that ship and go home. Let Masim clean up this mess on his own reputation, this is not your problem. And if you fail then he will just find another officer and keep trying. Your life is not worth this! Go home, start a family, you are the only Baquiste heir. Don’t take this mission!

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Luki Belle works in the media industry. Storytelling was a fixture from childhood when she would listen to stories told by her grandparents, parents, sisters, and cousins who would read to her from diverse cultural fiction books. Growing up, Luki was fortunate to live in various parts of the world and experience beautiful cultures. During this time, she embraced and appreciated diversity among people while recognizing through love, overcoming pain, or grief, one can truly bond with others leading to unimaginable positive outcomes.

 

Websites

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Delicate-Affair-Colonel-Baquiste-ebook/dp/B0BWLFTW6R

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-delicate-affair-of-colonel-baquiste-luki-belle/1143104792

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Luki-Belle/100090188427853/

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

 

Luki Belle will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4565